We love love our CSA! It’s one of the biggest in the country but is still a small local business. We pay weekly for a box of organic fruits and vegetables. They have a farm near by, and they also pull produce from other local farms, so we always get a nice variety and lots of quality yummy food. In the winter, they also source a couple of things per week from either California or Mexico. Every Thursday we get the chance to review the box contents for the upcoming week and change any items or quantities that we want. Then the box gets delivered to a fitness center a couple of blocks from our house on Tuesdays, and DH picks it up on his way home from the bus stop. There is also a home delivery option. There are all different sizes of boxes to choose from depending on how much produce you use in a week. We get the largest one.
By joining a CSA, I know that every week I will have about fifteen pounds of the freshest local organic produce available for a set price of $43. That works out to about $2.86 per pound. I don’t have to waste time at multiple grocery stores comparing prices and picking the best looking produce. I am never tempted to buy high priced organic strawberries in the middle of winter. I usually just bypass the produce department at the grocery store completely.
In addition to the health and budget benefits, CSAs allow us to helps small local business & agriculture thrive, so it continues to be available to all of us. Eating locally also drastically reduces transportation distance from the field to the plate lowering carbon emissions associated with our food.
Are you a member of a CSA? What benefits have you enjoyed?
